Category Archives: Business & Politics

Business & Politics

Builders FirstSource Releases 2023 Corporate Social Responsibility Report

Builders FirstSource Inc.
Businesswire
May 24, 2023
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

IRVING, Texas — Builders FirstSource, the nation’s largest supplier of building products, announced that it has published its 2023 Corporate Social Responsibility report, highlighting advancements in environmental, social, and governance across the Company in 2022. The report offers an overview of the initiatives and programs the Company has implemented to improve transparency and sustainability. Highlights include: Established Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions baselines. The Company intends to set short-, medium-, and long-term reduction targets for Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions no later than 2025; >90% of the Company’s wood is from Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) or Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified vendors; and >1.3 million trees saved in 2022 through the use of Builders FirstSource manufactured framing components versus traditional framing methods.

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Interfor Appoints Nicolle Butcher to its Board of Directors

Interfor Corporation
May 19, 2023
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

Nicole Butcher

Interfor Corporation announced the appointment of Nicolle Butcher of Toronto, Ontario as an independent director of the Company, effective May 19, 2023. Ms. Butcher is the Chief Operating Officer of Ontario Power Generation, where she has held a wide range of roles with increasing responsibility over the past 22 years. …Ms. Butcher was named one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women and named Women of the Year by WIRE (Women in Renewable Energy) and APPRO (Association of Power Producers of Ontario). She holds an MBA from McGill University, is a Chartered Business Valuator, and has earned an ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors. Ms. Butcher’s appointment increases the number of Interfor directors to 11 and the percentage of women directors to 27%. 

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B.C. eyes opportunities in Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement as part of revamped trade strategy

By Nelson Bennett
Business in Vancouver
May 24, 2023
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

Canada and Mexico have been part of a North American free trade agreement for three decades… yet the amount of trade B.C. does with Mexico is paltry compared to the trade it does with Asia. In 2021, B.C. exported a mere $107 million worth of commodities to Mexico – much of that pulp and paper products. …As the U.S. moves to decouple from China and re-shore some of its industries, Mexico is well positioned to become America’s manufacturing branch plant, owing to its proximity to the U.S., its inclusion in the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) and Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), and its low-cost but highly skilled workforce. …Mexico could become a market for B.C. lumber and other wood products, and the recent acquisition of the Kansas City Railway by Canadian Pacific to create a new North American railway could help facilitate those kinds of exports.

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Scott Robertson, Lennard Joe, and Paul Robitaille Receive SFI President’s Award for Leadership in Advancing SFI’s Indigenous Relations

Sustainable Forestry Initiative
May 16, 2023
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) announced the recipients of the 2023 SFI President’s Award for Leadership at the 2023 SFI Annual Conference in collaboration with PEFC Week. Scott Robertson, Lennard Joe, and Paul Robitaille were recognized for their foundational, governance, and programmatic contributions in advancing SFI’s Indigenous Relations. …“A key element of SFI’s commitment is investing in meaningful relationship building,” said Kathy Abusow, CEO. “Scott, Lenny, and Paul are inspiring leaders who have purposefully advised SFI on how to seek Indigenous representation and nurture lasting collaborations that lead to real and equitable benefits for Indigenous Peoples. All three facilitate open and honest conversations and are valued advisors to SFI and me.” …Scott Robertson, Senior Associate, Nahwegahbow Corbiere LLP, Aboriginal Rights Lawyer… Lennard Joe, Chief Executive Officer, BC First Nations Forestry Council and SFI Board Member… Paul Robitaille, Senior Advisor, Indigenous Relations, Sustainable Forestry Initiative.

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MPs ask whether Paper Excellence revamped board is Canadian enough

By Elizabeth Thompson
CBC News
May 15, 2023
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada

Members of Parliament are raising concerns after Canada’s new pulp and paper giant dismissed the previous board of directors of Resolute Forest Products and replaced it with a board dominated by longtime Paper Excellence executives. They are also questioning whether the new board satisfies the commitment Paper Excellence gave the federal government — that it would “maintain” a Canadian presence on Resolute’s board of directors. “NDP natural resources critic Charlie Angus. “We need to know who’s making the decisions here. They were allowed to take over Resolute, they made promises about the takeover of Resolute, that this was going to remain very much Canadian.” Seth Kursman, spokesperson for Resolute said two of the three current directors have Canadian citizenship and “all members of the Resolute executive team are also Canadian.” Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne… said his department will be watching to ensure that the company keeps the promises it made when it acquired Resolute.

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Canadian plywood makers seek duties as cheap Chinese rivals carve out half the market

By Darryl Greer
The Canadian Press in The Chronicle Journal
May 14, 2023
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada

The president of the Canadian Hardwood Plywood and Veneer Association, Carlos Zarate, warns of an industry in decline, but not due to falling demand for things like kitchen cabinets, decorative wood panels, furniture, and other non-structural wood products. Zarate said the association’s members have seen their market share in Canada drop because they are unable to compete with plywood products imported from China at prices domestic producers could never hope to match, let alone beat. The industry wants duties imposed on Chinese exporters, who they say enjoy unfair advantages such as heavy government subsidies and access to illegally harvested wood, flooding global markets with cheap goods that drastically undercut competitors. …Canadian labour standards and wages are much higher compared to China, Jeff Bromley, chair of the United Steelworkers’ Wood Council said, and cheaply produced decorative plywood products imported into Canada are “harming Canadian jobs.”

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2023 Indigenous Partnerships Success Showcase

2023 Indigenous Partnerships Success Showcase
May 26, 2023
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

The Indigenous Partnerships Success Showcase is an annual event responding to the growing demand for practical guidance on how First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities and their enterprise partners can work together, in common purpose, for shared success. Canada’s Indigenous economy is worth $30 billion and it is expected to more than triple in the coming years, hitting $100 billion by 2025. Much of this success comes through partnerships, like the ones at the heart of the Indigenous Partnerships Success Showcase. Economic reconciliation is the key to securing bright futures for First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities — and it opens the door to continued prosperity for all Canadians in this era of transformative change. By highlighting the relationships that underpin economic reconciliation, we enable participants and society at large to build toward an inclusive vision for what reconciliation looks like into the rest of the 21st century.

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Support grows to limit industrial tax reductions

By Rod Link
Houston Today
May 24, 2023
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

HOUSTON, BC — A push by the District of Houston council to limit the impact on tax revenues from the closure of major industries has received support. As provincial legislation stands now, a large company can apply to reduce the assessed value of improvements or facilities on property it owns down to 10 per cent when it closes the facility. The Houston council submitted a resolution to the North Central Local Government Association. The resolution will now be considered by all local governments in B.C. this fall. …Although the District’s resolution did not mention Canfor by name, the closure as of last month of its mill would have a substantial impact on the heavy industrial portion of the District’s tax base. …For its part, Canfor says that while it is closing its sawmill, it does want to build a new one, but won’t be making that decision until June.

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Mosaic Forest Management Releases 2022 Sustainability Progress Report

Mosaic Forest Management
May 24, 2023
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Nanaimo, BC – Mosaic Forest Management released achievements related to the environment, Indigenous partnerships, people, community, and safety in its 2022 Sustainability Progress Report announced today. The report discloses the company’s progress across key areas that ensure sustainability for its people and the communities and forests where Mosaic operates. “Sustainability is about multiple factors. It’s safeguarding and recognizing the team, ensuring there is fibre for tomorrow through stewarding the lands we work on today, and advancing partnerships with First Nations and local communities,” said Mosaic President and CEO Rob Gough. “We’ve made exciting progress in 2022 with accomplishments like the launch of the BigCoast Forest Climate Initiative, which recently issued its first carbon credits under Verra’s Verified Carbon Standard.”

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Forest Enhancement Society of BC recognizes outgoing director Brian Banfill

Forest Enhancement Society of BC
May 23, 2023
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Brian Banfill

The Forest Enhancement Society of BC (FESBC) is recognizing Brian Banfill, a remarkable individual whose term on the Board of Directors is coming to an end. We express our most sincere gratitude for Brian’s invaluable contributions and unwavering commitment to advancing the vital work of FESBC. With over 30 years of distinguished forest-sector experience, he has played an instrumental role in shaping the organization’s vision and fostering sustainable forest management practices throughout British Columbia. Brian joined the board in 2017, shortly after FESBC’s inception in February 2016. Board Chair Dave Peterson shared that, “Brian’s tenure on the FESBC Board of Directors has been nothing short of exceptional. His six years of dedicated service to the public, including two consecutive three-year terms, have had a profound impact on our organization’s success.”

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Defendants deny claims over damaged sawmill equipment

By Mark Nielsen
Prince George Citizen
May 19, 2023
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

A lumber producer who claims a Prince George-based business is partly responsible for damaging equipment it had purchased from the owner of a Fort St. James sawmill may be going after the wrong people. In a response to a civil claim Teal-Jones Group filed in March, the numbered company identified as doing business as Allen’s Scrap and Salvage Ltd. filed a response on May 11 in which it not only issued a wholesale denial of responsibility but says that by the time the work was being carried out, Allen’s was under different ownership. Pursuant to a sale of the business to Central Salvage Ltd., it had not operated Allen’s since September 2021, according to the response. According to Teal-Jones’ claim, Allen’s damaged the items in June 2022 while removing them as part of the dismantling the old Conifex sawmill.

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West Fraser announces appointment of Eric L. Butler to Board of Directors

By West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd.
Cision Newswire
May 23, 2023
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Eric Butler

VANCOUVER, BC – West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd. today announced the appointment of Eric L. Butler to its Board of Directors. Eric Butler is an accomplished executive and leader. Following his retirement from a 32-year career with Union Pacific, one of the largest freight rail providers in North America, he is a corporate director and President and CEO of Aswani-Butler Investment Associates, a private equity firm. Currently, he is a member of the Board of Directors of NiSource Inc., and the Eastman Chemicals Company and has served in the past in a number of appointments, including as the former Chair of the Board of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas CityOmaha Branch.

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Growth at Prince Rupert will fuel capacity expansions on CN main line

By Bill Stephens
Trains
May 17, 2023
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

MONTREAL — Canadian National envisions the day when its main line to the Port of Prince Rupert, British Columbia, will host 50 trains per day. “Our capacity right now on that line is about 25 trains a day,” CN CEO Tracy Robinson said. …The container terminal at Rupert can currently handle 1.6 million TEU, or twenty-foot equivalent units, but by the end of next year will be able to accommodate 1.8 million after an expansion project is completed. …Construction is under way on the Ridley Island Export Logistics Project at Prince Rupert. The project, which gained final environmental approval in March, will include large-scale bulk and breakbulk transload facilities, an intermodal rail yard, and a container storage yard. The facility will transload plastic pellets, cereal grains, specialty crops, lumber, and pulp directly from rail into containers for export. The first phase of the project will create 400,000 TEUs of export capacity.

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Conifex taking unscheduled downtime at Mackenzie lumber mill

By Conifex Timber Inc.
GlobeNewswire
May 19, 2023
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

VANCOUVER, BC — Conifex Timber announced that it has made the difficult decision to take unscheduled downtime for four weeks at its Mackenzie, BC sawmill commencing June 5, 2023. It is anticipated that the unscheduled downtime will impact production capacity by approximately 16 million board feet. The downtime is necessitated by the low water levels forecasted in the Williston Reservoir negatively impacting Conifex’s ability to safely and efficiently utilize its reservoir assets and reduced demand for lumber products amid challenging economic conditions. Conifex intends to utilize the production downtime to complete critical maintenance activities at its sawmill. “We regret the impact this may have on our employees, their families, and the community,” said Ken Shields, CEO. …Conifex’s power plant operation will remain unaffected.

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Canfor and Canfor Pulp Jointly Release 2022 Sustainability Report

Canfor Corporation and Canfor Pulp Products Inc.
May 17, 2023
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Canfor Corporation and Canfor Pulp Products Inc. jointly announce the release of the 2022 Sustainability Report, which outlines performance on climate change, sustainable forestry and energy management, and social issues such as inclusion and diversity, and Indigenous relations. “Sustainable forest management and low carbon forest products can play a key role in addressing our changing climate,” says Don Kayne, President and CEO, Canfor. “Sustainability is at the very core of what we do, and our 2022 Sustainability Report outlines the progress we are making on embedding it throughout our company under our three pillars of people, planet and products.” …New for this year is a target to distribute $2 million annually to support community programs and initiatives through our Good Things Come From Trees community giving program, performance against targets for water management and air quality for Canfor Pulp, as well as performance against targets for waste management for our Canadian wood products’ operations.

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Wildfires burn millions of acres in Canada, send oil prices higher

By Emma Newburger
CNBC News
May 17, 2023
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Wildfires burning across western Canada have forced thousands of people to evacuate their homes and have prompted some oil and gas companies to curb production as blazes approach pipelines. The fires have burned about 478,000 hectares, or 1,800 square miles, across Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan as of Monday — 10 times the average area burned for this time of year, according to the NASA Earth Observatory. The fires have had a notable impact on the region’s oil industry, as some drillers were forced to halt a small percentage of production in a precautionary measure due to shifting fire conditions. This week, benchmark Canadian heavy crude prices tightened to multi-month highs over concerns about the blazes. Nearly 2.7 million barrels of daily oil sands production in Alberta is in “very high” or “extreme” wildfire danger zones, according to Rystad Energy, an energy consulting firm.

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Orange Shirt Society & Tolko present winning 2023 design

Tolko Industries Ltd.
May 16, 2023
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Orange Shirt Society and Tolko Industries Ltd. (Tolko) are proud to announce that Charliss Santos, a Grade 10 student from Ponoka, Alberta is the winner of the official Orange Shirt Day design contest to commemorate Canada’s 2023 National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Charliss’ intricate design shows an Indigenous child held between two hands, surrounded by people, a heart and an eagle. Charliss said, “The child symbolizes all Indigenous children who suffered inside residential schools. The people represent the strong community First Nations peoples have built, and the support that they receive. The heart represents healing and forgiveness, and lastly, the eagle represents acceptance, honesty and freedom.” Her design was selected from entries submitted from across Canada. She will receive a $200 prize and travel to meet Phyllis Webstad for Orange Shirt Day in September 2023.

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Skeena Sawmills set to re-open after months long closure

By Rod Link
The Terrace Standard
May 16, 2023
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Skeena Sawmills is re-opening its scales today to build up a log inventory leading to a planned May 29 re-opening. The shutdown that began in early February has idled more than 150 direct employees for almost three months. The mill’s owners had cited high operating costs, a lack of a secure fibre supply and weak markets combining to make its operation uneconomical. “We will start the mill one shift with the focus on hopefully resuming full production capacity in the next two to three months when market conditions are projected to improve,” said company chief operating officer Greg DeMille. Also affected by the closure was the subsidiary Skeena Bioenergy pellet plant located next door. It is now scheduled to re-open June 5 and employs approximately 20 people. …Skeena Sawmills has also asked the provincial government for $17.5 million to finance a three-year project it says will restore the mill and pellet plant to profitability.

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Tolko to take two weeks of downtime at its Vernon sawmill

Tolko Industries Ltd.
May 15, 2023
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

VERNON, B.C. — Tolko Industries announced two weeks of unscheduled downtime at its Lakeview sawmill operations. “Significantly high log costs in BC and a lack of available economic fibre continue to impact our ability to run at a higher capacity,” says Troy Connolly. “While our goal is to ensure consistency and stability for all of our operations, the steep decline in lumber demand and upward cost pressures in the province unfortunately make this a necessary decision.” …The last day of production will be Friday, May 19 and operations will resume on Monday, June 5. Lakeview’s shipping and planer operations will continue to operate during the downtime. …Approximately 50 employees will be impacted and the potential for approximately 10 million board feet of lumber will be removed from production. Pino Pucci said they “will continue to work for our customers and do our best to minimize any impacts. 

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First Nation did not prove Aboriginal title for entire claim area: B.C. Supreme Court

By Brieanna Charlebois
The Canadian Press in Globe and Mail
May 12, 2023
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

VANCOUVER — A British Columbia Supreme Court judge ruling on a First Nations land title lawsuit says it did not prove it had rights to its entire claim area, although he suggested it may be time for the provincial government to rethink its current test for such titles. The Nuchatlaht First Nation, a community on Vancouver Island’s northwest coast, wanted title over an area of Crown land that included a portion of Nootka Island and much of the surrounding coastline. Justice Elliott Myers said …that there “may be areas” the nation can establish in its claim, but if it wants to do that another hearing would be required. …He’s given the nation 14 days to decide if it wishes to proceed on the further claims. …Myers wrote that this case may be indicative of the need for a “reconsideration of the test for Aboriginal title as it relates to coastal First Nations.”

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3-way agreement, cash infusion for Adams Lake band to save timber, create jobs in the Shuswap

By Martha Wickett
Penticton Western News
May 11, 2023
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

With collaboration, innovation and support, the Adams Lake band is moving ahead with a business venture to sustain forests while providing value-added manufacturing and long-term employment. “We’re hoping to start it small, keep it simple and then build from there,” said an upbeat Dave Nordquist, the band’s Title and Rights and Natural Resource Director. Nordquist explained it all began with a small business in Enderby that created door and window shims, which was having trouble finding cedar. Nordquist knew Greg Smith with Gilbert Smith Forest Products (GSFP) who also had a contact at Woodtone Specialties (WSI), which was experiencing a worker shortage in one part of their operations. This eventually led to a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Adams Lake band, Gilbert Smith Forest Products, a primary lumber manufacturer and Woodtone Specialties, a secondary re-manufacturer. …Nordquist said he could see the new venture employing 20 to 30 people

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Former NDP cabinet minister joins BC United

By Cindy Harness
The Prince George Citizen
May 11, 2023
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Harry Lali

Former B.C. NDP MLA Harry Lali has joined BC United. Lali has been working as a consultant in the forest industry for nine years. Prior to that, he served four terms as an NDP MLA and transportation minister. Lali said in a news release that he has not been a B.C. NDP member since December 2020, and now believes the best interests of the province, especially resource-dependent, rural communities, would be served by a BC United government. Lali said Falcon is expanding the party to include people from the centre and centre-left and that he will be offering his advice to B.C. United on labour, forestry and rural B.C. issues. …Lali, 68, was first elected in 1991 in the Merritt-area riding of Yale-Lillooet.

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Townsend Lumber delivers its first outbound rail shipment

By Chris Abott
The Woodstock Sentinel-Review
May 18, 2023
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

TILLSONBURG, Ontario — It was a historic day for the company, most of the seven minutes were spent taking photos with Townsend Lumber staff. “This is Townsend Lumber’s first outbound shipment of rail, ever,” said Mike Penner, the co-owner. After its one hour and 25-minute ride to St. Thomas, the shipment of ties transferred to CN Railway for the remainder of its approximately 700-km trip to Stella-Jones Inc.’s treating plant in Delson, Quebec, near Montreal. …“This one was just the icebreaker – set up our CN account, figure out the process, what we have to do for rail and how it works.” …As southwestern Ontario’s largest sawmill and kiln drying operation, Townsend Lumber draws its lumber from the Lambton, Chatham-Kent and Middlesex areas to the Niagara region. Their mill in Kitchener draws from areas to the north including Orangeville and Durham.

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Ginoogaming First Nation aims for OSB plant

Northern Ontario Business
May 19, 2023
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

ONTARIO — Ginoogaming First Nation wants to put some underutilized hardwood resources in northwestern Ontario to work by making building material. The community, 40 kilometres east of Geraldton in northwestern Ontario, has plans to build an Indigenous-run oriented strand board (OSB) or laminated strand lumber (LSL) mill utilizing approximately 600,000 cubic metres of poplar, aspen and birch from the Kenogami Forest and the surrounding area. From that volume, Ginoogaming said that it can manufacture 550,000 square feet of OSB or LSL for the building construction and home renovation market. To further evaluate this concept, Ginoogaming announced May 18 that it has netted $300,000 in funding from the federal government’s Indigenous Forestry Initiative to do a feasibility study. …The feasibility study is due out sometime this summer. 

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Unifor Local 1291 ratifies deal with Ariva, a division of Domtar

Unifor Canada
May 17, 2023
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

ONTARIO — Unifor Local 1291 has secured a new four-year contract with Ariva, a division of Domtar. “Congratulations to the bargaining committee for negotiating a deal that addresses our members’ top priorities,” said Local 1291 President Adam Doran. “Our local benefits from gains in the pulp and paper bargaining pattern negotiated by units in Dryden and Espanola. However, a challenge we had to face was the employer hesitating to make changes with us that might set a precedent.” The contract includes increased wages, improvements to vacation entitlements, health and dental benefits including vision care and orthodontics. There were also improvements to long-term disability and life insurance benefits, shift premiums, meal allowance and increased union representation.

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American Forest & Paper Association appoints VP of government affairs

The American Forest & Paper Association
May 23, 2023
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States

Julie Landry

The Washington-based American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) has named Julie Landry as vice president of government affairs effective immediately. Landry will lead the paper and wood products industry’s legislative agenda and drive advocacy efforts before Congress, the White House as well as state governments. …Landry joined AF&PA in 2011 as manager of government affairs and has worked on energy, environment, water and forestry initiatives for the organization. Previously, she worked for the National Association of Convenience Stores, lobbying on a variety of issues including food safety, taxes and energy. …AF&PA also has promoted Laura Pickard to senior director, government affairs and international trade, and Abby Sztein to senior director, government affairs.

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US Commerce determines that GreenFirst is the successor-in-interest of Rayonier AM

By the International Trade Administration
The US Department of Commerce
May 22, 2023
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States

The U.S. Department of Commerce preliminarily determines that GreenFirst Forest Products is the successor-in-interest to Rayonier A.M. Canada and, accordingly, that subject merchandise produced and/or exported by GreenFirst QC should be assigned the cash deposit rate established for subject merchandise produced and/or exported by RYAM for purposes of the antidumping duty order on certain softwood lumber products (softwood lumber) from Canada. …Record evidence submitted by GreenFirst indicates that, based on the totality of the circumstances under Commerce’s successor-in-interest criteria, GreenFirst QC operates as materially the same business entity as RYAM with respect to the production and sale of subject merchandise….In addition, we preliminarily find that GreenFirst’s production facilities, supplier relationships, and customer base with regard to the subject merchandise are substantially the same as RYAM’s before GreenFirst’s acquisition of RYAM’s lumber assets.

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Duties On China’s Hardwood Plywood Will Continue For 5 More Years

By Keith Christman
The Decorative Hardwoods Association
May 17, 2023
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States

Last week, the U.S. International Trade Commission determined that revoking current antidumping and countervailing duties on hardwood plywood from China would have negative consequences. Specifically, this could lead to material injury to U.S. industry. The existing duties, many of which exceed 200%, will remain in place. …The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) determined that revocation of the existing antidumping and countervailing duty orders on certain hardwood plywood products (hardwood plywood) from China would be likely to lead to continuation or recurrence of material injury or threat of material injury within a reasonably foreseeable time.  As a result of the Commission’s affirmative determinations, the existing orders on imports of this product from China will remain in place. 

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Drax selects Houston, Texas as headquarters for bioenergy carbon capture business

Drax Group Inc.
May 24, 2023
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US West

Drax announced it will establish its North American headquarters for Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) in Houston, Texas. The new office will serve as the hub for Drax’s team focused on bringing BECCS projects to fruition throughout the United States and Canada. “With the growing global demand for high-quality carbon removals, Houston was a natural fit for our BECCS headquarters as it is the energy capital of the world with a proven, highly skilled workforce that will be needed to lead the world’s clean energy transition,” said Drax CEO Will Gardiner. “Additionally, the U.S. Gulf Coast has emerged as a major hub for carbon capture and sequestration investment and technology, a key component of the company’s plans to expand clean electric generation from renewable resources.” BECCS is the only technology that can deliver reliable, dispatchable renewable power while permanently removing millions of tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

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Domtar hosts ribbon-cutting, announces Food City partnership

By Allison Winters
Kingsport Times News
May 25, 2023
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

KINGSPORT, TN — Domtar employees got to see the fruits of their labor for the past two years pay off on Wednesday at the converted Kingsport Mill’s ribbon- cutting ceremony. Referred to as Project Smoky, Domtar worked to turn their freesheet paper machine into a containerboard machine, which would become the second-largest 100% recycled containerboard machine in North America. “The Kingsport Mill is blazing a trail as Domtar’s first 100 percent recycled containerboard facility,” said Steve Henry, Domtar executive vice president and chief operating officer. “We’re building on our 175-year legacy as a fiber innovator by entering the packaging business. It’s a large and growing market, and we’re very excited by the customer response we’ve received.”

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Family-owned Robbins Lumber acquires two sawmills

Robbins Lumber, Inc.
May 25, 2023
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

SEARSMONT, Maine – Robbins Lumber, announced the acquisition of two sawmills, expanding the company’s footprint from two locations to four locations. The sawmills in Hancock and Sanford, previously owned by Pleasant River Lumber, will retain all 74 employees between the two locations. The company says the acquisition will allow them to build upon its brand of Eastern White Pine production, which the company already produces in its existing locations in Searsmont and East Baldwin. …Robbins Lumber is co-owned by Catherine, and her siblings Jim and Alden Robbins. They are the fifth generation of the family to own and manage the operation, which has been in business for more than 140 years. …With the addition of the Hancock and Sanford locations, Robbins Lumber now employs 250 people throughout its four locations.

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Mill closure looms large in discussion of challenges facing Western North Carolina forests

By Holly Kays
The Smoky Mountain News
May 24, 2023
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

ASHVILLE, North Carolina — The familiar challenges of climate change, invasive pests and development pressure peppered the conversation during a May 18 panel discussion on the issues facing forests in Western North Carolina — but the impending closure of Canton’s century-old paper mill dominated it. …The discussion came at a critical time for forestry in Western North Carolina. In February, the Forest Service adopted a new management plan for the million-acre Pisgah-Nantahala National Forest, concluding a decade-long process. The document will likely guide management decisions for the next 20 years. A month later, Pactiv-Evergreen announced plans to close Canton’s 115-year-old paper mill, a decision that will have a critical impact on regional demand for timber in the years ahead. …A crowd of about 150 people attended the event, which was held at New Belgium Brewing in Asheville, representing a cross-section of conservation and forestry organizations.

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Lumber prices could surge again due to too few lumber workers

Fox 17 News
May 18, 2023
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

Maine is one of the major producers of timber and forest products — a University of Maine study estimated that pre-pandemic, Maine’s industry was tied to 32,000 jobs . But since the pandemic, demand for lumber has gone down, and so have the prices. This is causing many to leave the industry in search of different jobs, and could have a major effect on the consumer when it comes to building or repairing homes. The University of Maine study found the state’s logging industry supported fewer jobs and generated less economic output and labor income in 2021 compared to the five years prior. The study shows that Maine itself generated $582 million in economic output compared to $619 million in 2017. Dana Doran is the executive director of the Professional Logging Contractors of Maine. He says the volatile conditions have led to contractors leaving the industry.

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Take a look inside ND Paper’s newest addition at Biron’s 127-year-old paper mill

By Becky Jacobs
The Wisconsin Rapids Tribune
May 19, 2023
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

BIRON, Wisconsin — The transformation of a 127-year-old paper mill in Biron is complete. For decades, employees at the facility produced lightweight coated paper for magazines and catalogs. Now, workers create packaging grade paper made completely from recycled material. …ND Paper Biron Division’s… provided a tour of the new recycling facility that gives the Biron mill the ability to process recycled paper material and then use it to produce new paper products. Roughly 60 people, including Gov. Tony Evers and local leaders from Biron and Wisconsin Rapids, gathered Thursday at the mill for the grand opening of a newly-built recycling facility that feeds the mills recently-converted paper machines. …In addition to Biron, ND Paper owns facilities in Old Town and Rumford, Maine, and in Fairmont, West Virginia.

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Kentucky tax incentive helps Domtar invest $51 Million for Hawesville mill modernization

Governor Andy Beshear
May 18, 2023
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

FRANKFORT, Kentucky – Gov. Andy Beshear announced continued momentum in Kentucky’s manufacturing sector with a $51 million investment retaining over 400 jobs in Hancock County from Domtar Paper, a part of the Paper Excellence Group and currently the largest integrated manufacturer and marketer of uncoated freesheet paper in North America. …The project, located at the company’s existing 50-year-old Hawesville mill, will upgrade the current pulper with a modern pulper to gain additional machine capabilities and better service growing markets. Leaders at Domtar plan to have the expansion fully operational by the end of 2025. …To encourage the investment, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority will provide up to $1.2 million in tax incentives.

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Protesters gather outside of Enviva HQ to push back against pollution

WRAL.com
May 17, 2023
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

RALEIGH, North Carolina — Dozens gathered to protest outside of the Enviva headquarters in Raleigh today, demanding change from the world’s largest wood pellet production company. The company has four plants across the state in Northhampton, Hertford, Sampson, and Richmond counties. …The protesters delivered a petition to the Enviva office asking the company to mitigate dust and noise, stop sourcing from North Carolina forests, and halt overnight production. The Impacted Communities Against Wood Pellet Coalition organized the protest and says the company has been ignoring the concerns of impacted communities while receiving millions of dollars in subsidies and tax breaks from the state. “We have taken our message to Governor Cooper, to Department of Environmental Quality and nothing is being done to stop the pollution,” said Emily Zucchino with Dogwood Alliance.

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International Paper recommends shareholders reject mini-tender offer by TRC Capital

By International Paperl
Cision Newswire
May 12, 2023
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

MEMPHIS, Tennessee — International Paper announced that it has received notice of an unsolicited mini-tender offer by TRC Capital Investment Corporation to purchase up to 3,000,000 shares of IP common stock from International Paper shareholders. The offer represents approximately 0.86 % of International Paper’s shares of common stock outstanding. TRC Capital’s offer price of $30.67 per share is approximately 4.51% lower than the $32.12 closing price of IP common stock on the NYSE on May 9, 2023. IP does not endorse TRC Capital’s unsolicited mini-tender offer and recommends that shareholders do not tender their shares in response. …TRC Capital has made similar unsolicited mini-tender offers for shares of other companies. …New mini-tender offers, such as this one, seek to acquire less than 5% of a company’s shares outstanding, thereby avoiding many disclosure and procedural requirements. 

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With native forest logging in Victoria to end early, hundreds of workers face an uncertain future

By Cait Kelly
The Guardian UK
May 26, 2023
Category: Business & Politics
Region: International

AUSTRALIA — Employees ‘blindsided’ by the government’s decision must now consider retraining… after the Labor government announced the snap decision to bring forward the end to native forest logging in 2024 – six years earlier than planned. Environmentalists have celebrated the decision, saying it’s not just important for the planet but for the future of the industry. The number of jobs impacted is contested, with the Victorian Association of Forestry Industries estimating it would be around 4,000 while a report commissioned by the Forest and Wood Products Association in 2018 found there were 1,639. Inside the state’s sawmills on Wednesday, the mood was sombre. …“The community is frustrated, disappointed and pissed off. …The writing has been on the wall for some time – the industry has been beset by bushfires, environmental no-logging zones and a supreme court ruling that found VicForests breached Victorian law in three separate litigations.

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Canada’s British Columbia opens new trade and investment office in Vietnam

Tuoi Tre News
May 26, 2023
Category: Business & Politics
Region: International

Jagrup Brar

British Columbia has opened a new trade and investment office in Vietnam as part of a new international trade strategy to provide more jobs and opportunities for B.C. and Vietnamese businesses to work together. The Trade and Investment Representative Office opened in Ho Chi Minh City to assist B.C. businesses with better access to the Vietnamese market and promote B.C. origin exports. “The global economy has drastically shifted over the last few years and the pandemic and global uncertainties have shown us the impacts they can have on our economies and supply chains, and the importance of strengthening our international partnerships,” B.C.’s Minister of State for Trade Jagrup Brar said in Ho Chi Minh City on Thursday. …The Trade and Investment Representative Office in Ho Chi Minh City is said to work alongside the Forestry Innovation Investment (FII), which promotes B.C. exports, including value-added wood sales. 

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China will resume Australian timber trade imports from today, ambassador says

By Stephen Dziedzic, Fiona Green & Daniel Miles
ABC News, Australia
May 18, 2023
Category: Business & Politics
Region: International

China’s ambassador to Canberra has confirmed his country will lift its ban on Australian timber imports, in another sign trade ties with Australia are slowly normalising. Since 2020, Australia’s $600 million annual timber trade with China has been suspended with Beijing citing quarantine risks. …Ambassador Xiao Qian said that was related the quarantine of timbers, and they “have satisfied the conditions of the Chinese Customs”. …The restoration of timber imports comes a month after Australia agreed to suspend its appeal to the World Trade Organization over Chinese government tariffs on Australian barley. That agreement came just before the international body was due to hand down a finding over the dispute. While Mr Xiao maintained that China’s ban was a purely regulatory measure, Australian officials say it was clearly part of a broader campaign of economic punishment orchestrated by Beijing in 2020 when the relationship was mired in acrimony.

In related coverage: Timber industry welcomes China’s decision to lift import bans

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